de lisle



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-$heet 1.

B. 0. DE LISLE & G. P. MAIN. GAR COUPLING.

No. 595,318. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

2 g I nromvsrs WITNESSES INVENTOR5 (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet '2.

B. C. DE LISLE 81; G. P. MAIN. GAR COUPLING.

No. 595,318. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

im i.

WITNESSES (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet *3 B. 0. DE LISLE & G. P. MAIN GARCOUPLING.

No. 595,318. Patented 1360.14, 1897.

- WIT/VESSE s. I if INVENTORS I Q2? I TTORNEW UNrTnn STATES PATENTOFFICE.

BERNARD C. DE LISLE AND GEORGE PEET MAIN, OF LOUGI'IBOROUGH, ENGLAND.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,318, dated December14, 1897. Application filed February 24, 1897. Serial No. 624,880. (Nomodel.) Patented in England August 10, 1894,110. 15,285.

To (all 1071,0712, 2'2. 71111.7 concern.-

Be it known that we, BERNARD C. DE LISLE and GEORGE PEET hIAIN,S11bjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Loughborough, in thecounty of Leicester, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Coupling Apparatus for Railway-Carriages and lVagons, ofwhich the following is a full and complete specification, such as willenable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to car-couplers; and the object thereof is toprovide an improved device of this class which is adapted for use inconnection with railway-cars and other vehicles.

The invention is the same for which Letters Patent were granted in GreatBritain August 10, 1894, No. 15,285, and is fully disclosed in thefollowing specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part,in which the separate parts of our improvement are designated by thesame numerals of reference wherever found throughout the several views,and in which Figure l is a plan view of a portion of the main frame atone end of a railway-car without the sides and flooring, the couplingapparatus being shown in position with the top of a box which forms apart thereof; Fig. 2, a side view of one end of a railway-carriage withour improved coupling apparatus applied thereto; Fig. 3, an end view ofthe same;

i Fig. 4:, a bottom plan view of a protectingplate which is secured tothe under side of the box shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, an end view of arailway-carriage provided with our improved coupling apparatus; and Fig.6, a view similar to Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale, showing thelocking-lever raised and the couplinghead and catch-hook shoved to oneside in the position which it would occupy when the cars were beinguncoupled or coupled.

The improved coupling apparatus consists of the following parts: Anoblong frame 1, having parallel sides, is secured to the main framingnear the ends of each railway carriage or car. ,Vithin the frame a box 2is free to slide to and fro. Beneath the top an axle 3 projects, onwhich a clutch couplingbar 4} rocks horizontally. Two springs 5 pressupon the sides of the bar, each spring being held by a stud 0,projecting from the top of the box. Other studs '7, projecting from thesides of the box, form stops for the springs. The frame is provided withtwo rings at each end, on which coiled springs S are placed, againstwhich the ends of the box rest. These springs hold the box andcoupling-bar in a central position ready for coupling.

The outer end of each coupling-bar forms a horizontal catch-hook 9 and aprojecting arm 10, between which the catch-hook of the coupling-bar ofthe next adjacent carriage or car engages when coupled.

The outer end of each bar is turned upward and slotted vertically at 9to receive the outer end of a locking-lever 11, rocking on an axle 11 ina vertically-slotted bracket 12, secured to the front of the carriage orcar framing. The slot in the outer end of the bar is of sufficient Widthto allow the locking-lever to slide laterally in it when passing arounda curve in the rails without straining the lever. The levers prevent thecatch-hooks 9 from being uncoupled when in use by any sudden jerk. Thebracket 12 is also slotted vertically at the back parallel to the frontof the framing. In this slot a notched lever 13 is free to rise andfall. The notched end engages with a vertical flange 14, projecting fromthe side of the coupling-bar, and holds the bar sidewise clear of thecoupling-bar of the next carriage or car when uncoupled. At the sametime an incline 13 on the lower edge of the lever 13, by engaging theend 11 of the lever 11 back of the shaft 11 raises the outer end oflocking-lever 11 above the vertical slot on the outer end of thecouplingbar.

The outer end of the lever 13 is hinged to the lower end of a hand-lever15, rocking on an axle projecting from the end of the carriage or car.

The upper end of the hand-lever slides in a guide 16, provided with astud 16, on which a lever 17 rocks, and the said lever 17 is providedwith a shoulder 17, adapted to engage the said lever 15, and a spring18, secured to the bracket, presses upon the lever 17 and holds thehand-lever locked when the coupling-bar has been moved sidewise.

WVhen the coupling apparatus is applied to the end of a car, thehand-lever 15 is held in the position shown at Fig. 5 by a spring 19.When the bar is coupled, the spring is hooked on a stud at the back ofthe hand-lever and on a stud projecting from the lower end of theguide-bracket 16.

The back end of each coupling-bar at is provided with a pin 24:,engaging in a slot 25 in the front end of a bar 20, sliding in slots inthe back of the frame 1 and box 2, and, passing through two portions ofthe main framing of the carriage or car, the back end of the bar isreduced and screw-threaded to receive a nut and lock-nut 21 and a coiledspring 22 between the framing and nuts.

The parts of the apparatus contained within the box 2 are protected byaplate 23, (shown at Fig. 4B,) the plate being secured to the box by ascrew at each corner. The center of the plate, on the top side, isprovided with a boss, forming a lower bearing for the axle 3, on whichthe bar at rocks. The plate 5 is also perforated to receive the lowerends of the two studs 6, holding the springs 53.

To uncouple the cars, one of the levers 15 shown at Fig. 3 being movedoutward or one of the levers 15 shown at Fig. 5 being lowered by anattendant until the notch 17 in the hand-lever 17, forced by the springs18, engages with the edge of the lever 15 the link 13 will raise thelocking-lever 11 clear of the vertical slot on the outer end of thecoupling-bar and will move the bar to the left and clear and release itfrom the bar of the next adjacent carriage or car.

It will be understood that one of the coupling devices constructed asherein described is connected with each end of each of the cars orcarriages to be coupled, and our improved coupler is simple inconstruction and operation and W811 adapted to accomplish the result forwhich it is intended.

Having fully described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. A coupling device for cars or carriages,consisting of an oblong frame mounted beneath the end of the car orcarriage, a sliding box mounted therein, and held in position by springsat each end thereof, a coupling-bar which passes through said box, andsaid frame, said coupling-bar being provided with a catch-hook at itsouter end, and a projecting arm, and the outer end of said bar beingturned upwardly and slotted vertically, a vertically-slotted bracketsecured to the end of the car or carriage, a locking-lever mountedtherein, a notched lever operating in a slot formed in said bracket andadapted to engage said lockin g-lever, and a hand-lever connected withsaid notched lever, said parts being constructed, combined and arranged,substantially as shown and described.

2. A coupling device for carriages or cars, consisting of an oblongframe mounted beneath the end of the car or carriage, a sliding boxmounted therein, and held in position by springs at each end thereof, acoupling-bar which passes through said box, and said frame, saidcoupling-bar being provided with a catch-hook at its outer end, and aprojecting arm, and the outer end of said bar being turned upwardly andslotted vertically, a vertically-slotted bracket secured to the end ofthe car or carriage, a locking-lever mounted therein, a notched leveroperating in a slot formed in said bracket and adapted to engage saidlocking-lever, and a hand-lever connected with said notched lever,and abracket through which said hand-lever passes, said bracket beingprovided with a stud and a spring, substantially as shown and described.

A coupling device for carriages or cars, consisting of an oblong framemounted beneath the end of the car or carriage, a sliding box mountedtherein, and held in position by springs at each end thereof, acoupling-bar which passes through said box, and said frame, saidcoupling-bar being provided with a catch-hook at its outer end, and aprojecting arm and the outer end of said bar being turned upwardly andslotted vertically, a vertically-slotted bracket secured to the end ofthe car or carriage, a locking-lever mounted therein, a notched leveroperating in a slot formed in said bracket and adapted to engage thesaid locking-lever, and a hand-lever connected with said notched lever,and a bracket through which said lever passes, said bracket beingprovided with a stud and a spring, and said coupling-bar being pivotallyconnected with a sliding bar which is suitably supported, and providedwith a spring at its rear end, and a set and a lock nut by which saidspring is held in position, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signedour names, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 3d day ofNovember, 1896.

BERNARD C. DE LISLE. GEORGE PEET MAIN.

\Vitnesses:

ISIDORE GOLDBERG, THOMAS THYNE MILLAR.

